Gun laws are already affecting public events in Atlanta. In April 2022, Mr. Kemp signed into law a measure passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, allowing most Georgians to openly carry a rifle in public places without a permit. A few months later, the Midtown Music Festival canceled its annual event after organizers said they were at a loss as to how to protect their expected 50,000 visitors. A week later, another event, the 404 Festival, also canceled its gathering over safety concerns.
Then this month, the SweetWater Brewing Company pulled its SweetWater 420 Fest from Centennial Olympic Park — where the Democratic convention would potentially be held — and heavily downsized the event to hold it on the brewery grounds, a private location, citing the safety of the festival goers . Security advisers said the first open-carry law may have been passed in 2014, but repeated mass shootings, the end of licensing requirements and a rise in gun violence since 2020 have prompted insurers to take notice and the cost of covering large public increase events.
Last but not least, such headlines allow Chicago boosters to shine a spotlight on their city’s strict gun control laws and newly enacted sweeping ban on high-powered guns and high-capacity magazines. Though full adoption of the law is being held up in court, its existence is part of a broader argument, including a constitutional right to unionize and protection of abortion rights, that Chicago is more in line with party values.
Union leaders who have privately taken their case against Atlanta are also speaking out more loudly, saying it is important for many state delegations and union officials to stay in union hotels and attend events at union organized venues. Some union leaders said they remained silent when then-President Barack Obama selected Charlotte, NC for the 2012 convention. This time they won’t.
“Joe Biden is the most pro-union president in history, and having him in a pro-union city validates that record and sends a message,” said Ross Templeton, political and legislative director of the International Association of Iron Workers.
Jonathan Weisman reported from Chicago and Maya King from New York.
